The word “moving” serves as a reminder both that our values require action and that our journey toward a just and equitable industry is not complete. Though we have recently seen many institutional efforts towards equity, justice, inclusion, and belonging be curtailed or reversed due to political pressures, these goals remain inherently necessary to the mission and purpose of scholarly publishers and thus to the Association.
The Association’s Statement on Equity and Anti-Racism, approved by the AUPresses Board of Directors in spring 2020 remains a touchstone, keeping our commitments in view of leadership, staff, volunteer committees, and members. We reconfirm our commitment to the joint principles of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC), and found common cause with many scholarly, publishing, and cultural organizations who have condemned the racist and bigoted policy actions of the US federal administration. As a founding member of C4DISC, AUPresses, particularly our Director of Operations Kim Miller, continues to provide key administrative infrastructure for the group.
The AUPresses Equity, Justice, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee hosted a second “town hall” allowing the community to discuss impacts recent US federal actions have had on workplace safety, censorship, and press business in general. A committee-hosted hangout on microaggressions created a safe space for colleagues across presses to share difficult workplace experiences. These virtual gatherings, as well as a summit of representatives from across AUPresses committees and task forces, have helped keep our connective tissue strong this year. The Committee also developed a new section for the EJIB Resource Library on ethics and AI, ensuring that our values are not left behind by evolving technology.
